

Kasa Smart HS100 WiFi Smart Plug, Classic 1-Pack, White
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KD
> 3 dayI got this as part of the Black Friday promo for purchasing an Echo Dot. Like the other TP-Link products I have purchased, the set-up is pretty easy from the TP-Link Kasa app. I think some people might get stuck when they attempt to connect to their own wi-fi network. For what ever reason, I notice that the TP-Link products always list my neighbors network first instead of mine. I solved that by clicking the option below the listed network to find my own. As for the product I have had no problems connecting or loss of signal. My plug is on the second floor of my home about twenty feet in distance from the wi-fi router. Not bad considering all the flooring and walls. My only complaint is that the smart plug covers the entire outlet. Not a problem for the room I am using as it only had one lamp running to that wall outlet. All the same, I cannot plug anything else into that wall outlet. My suggestion is that you might want to use this smart plug for a single appliance like a fan or Christmas lights. If you want to have smart features for a lamp, I would suggest purchasing a smart light bulb (see my review for the TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200) which is likely to have more features and allow you to keep full access to your wall outlet.
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B. Colonna
> 3 dayOne of my smartest purchases ever. I bought my first HS100 around Thanksgiving 2017. I got two for $5 each, as bundles with my Echo and Echo Dot. I just added a 3rd (an HS110) for under $20. They are a breeze to set up. just plug in and wait for the light to go from amber to green. Go to setting on your phone and join the TP Kaza wifi (temporary for the setup), and let it prompt you to connect to your home wifi. From there, use the phone app to manage the devices, create schedules, groups of devices, and of course, turn things on or off with Alexa. You can use the Kaza app to set up schedules. I use these on lamps and the Christmas tree, etc. One great thing - these are actually smart - they know if they are off or on. This differs from a simple time which just turns itself back and forth to on and off, without controlling the actual flow of electricity to the timer. The Kasaoutlet knows if it is on or off, so for example if you ask Alexa to turn off the lamp and the Kasa outlet is already off, it will do nothing. You wont get out of sync with on being off and off being on. Scheduling is a breeze, and much easier to do from a smartphone than having to go to an outlet timer, bend down, play with settings, etc. You can schedule on and off functions individual on different days, or set a timer to turn off in say 30 minutes, or set an away schedule to randomly turn lights on to give the appearance you are home. Of course, you can use the app to turn things on and off when you are away from home too. You can also override the schedule with simple commands like Alexa turn on the den lamp. If you prefer a smaller plug, TP-Link does make a smaller version. Coverage seems very good. I have some of these on different floors than my router, and about 60-70 feet away with no issue at all. A couple of notes: 1. These are good size, so in a duplex outlet it is bets to plug it in the top outlet so the bottom outlet remains accessible. I see people complain that the Kasa blocks the whole duplex outlet. I guess it could in some cases, depending how your outlet is mounted, or it what you want to plug into the other outlet is large. In general though, plug into the top outlet on a duplex, and you are good to go. 2. These are grounded and have 3 prongs so if you have an old style outlet, thats an issue. The HS110 comes with energy monitoring which the HS100 does not. The HS100 still shows you hours of usage, averages, etc.so I would go with whichever is the best price on the day you buy it.
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Bichon Mom
Greater than one weekI bought this TP-link smart plug for a lamp in the corner of my bedroom. I like the location of the soft lighting when I am reading or watching tv in bed but it got annoying to have to get up and switch it off when I got drowsy. I got the TP-link plug before I got the Amazon Echo so I set it up with the Kasa app which I placed on my Android tablets and phone. The app immediately found the device and connected to my wifi network with the option to give the plug a personalized name. When I would log onto the app, I was presented with a power button next to that name, so it was just a tap on that to turn it off or on. I was quite happy with that. Once I got my Echo, I switched over to using the plug with that. Again, the plug was quickly detected and so very simple to use. I was happy using the app but the Echo raised the bar and it is so nice to be able to just voice my request rather than reaching for a phone or tablet app. The plug is large which may be a concern depending on the size of any other plugs that need to be placed next to it. I have it plugged into a surge suppressor where I have outlets that I do not use, so it is not a problem for me. I plan to purchase more TP-Link plugs since I am quickly becoming addicted to having Alexa’s quick response to my requests for turning it on or off.
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C. Flowers
> 3 dayUpdate 03.27.17 From 5 stars to 1 star and now at 4stars. After the fix provided by Customer Service all seems well but time will tell. The Fix: You can download the upgrade tool here: http://static.tp-link.com/iotUpgradeTool_V1.0.zip Please note the upgrade tool is currently compatible with Windows systems only, and the computer must be on the same network as the smart device(s). After downloading the tool, extract the compressed folder using a decompression utility such as 7zip or WinRAR, and run the main executable file. Please allow firewall access if prompted by Windows. Once the program is open, click Scan, then select the smart device you want to update, and click Upgrade. If you have more than one smart device that needs updating, simply repeat these steps for each one. Once the update is completed, your smart device may need to be re-configured. If so, please use the Kasa app to re-configure the smart device. Update 03.20.17 Worst purchase ever from Tp-Link besides the new smart bulls. They are both horrible if you lose service for more than a few hours. I had to have my modem/router replaced and once all was said and done all of my original smart plugs were back online and communicating with Echo. However, after several resets, following Tp-Links instructions, my three (3) smart bulbs and my one (1) mini smart plug are still not responsive. Well, not entirely true, they are responsive after the initial reset but if I turn my phone off or leave the house, nothing. Of course they are visible on the app but unreachable. The smaller size of the new smart plugs is great but they are not worth the hassle. If this was a one-time thing maybe but I happened to live in an area that losing power for hours if not days during storms and I can’t see going through this frustration after each incident. For now I am only out a little over $100 and I am thankful this happened now before invested any more money in these products. The convenience of the smaller sized of the mini plugs and the no plug needed bulbs was sop great I naturally wanted more of them. Now, if youre wondering why my others devices worked with my new router instantly, the cable guy replaced the name or something on the new router with the name and password of my old router so I wouldnt have to reset everything. He did mention if I had a hub I would only have to redo the hub but that would still leave all of other devices, i.e. echoes, dot, thermostat, Kuna lights and everything else that runs off Wi-Fi. I know this review has crossed over between the mini plugs and the smart bulbs but since they responded the same way to my outage I thought it appropriate. However, I will be updating my review for the bulbs as well if I left one if not, I will be leaving one. I love these plugs. Set up was easy. I ordered one, then two, and now I am on my third. Having the app is great and the ability to work around my scheduled settings has proven to be a much needed asset. Im sure there may be at least one more in my future, maybe two :). And how could I forget to mention these plugs work with my Echo, even better. My house may be old but she is smart!
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Richard Taft
> 3 dayOverall this like the other KASA products are well made, reliable and easy to use. My application was to control a whole house fan with Alexa. Once it was finally all set up, it worked well. Im using a smartthings hub to integrate everything. Using the KASA app on my tablet was simple to do the initial setup. Once that was done an automatic firmware update was done. That took only 5 min. I then had to go into the SmartThings app to get it to discover the new device. A simple process that went smoothly. Getting it into Alexa was a bit of an issue. If you go into the Alexa app and select add a device and select KASA, it will prompt you to install the KASA Skill. DONE DO THAT if you have SmartThings. You will end up with duplicate devices for everything controlled by KASA that in SmartThings. If you select SmartThings, you will be prompted to install the SmartThings skill, even though its already installed. What you have to do is select OTHER and the app will scan for new devices. You will then be prompted to give the device a name, why it doesnt use the same name as is in SmartThings Ill never know. Not very intuitive at all. Overall Im pleased with the KASA product and will definitely order it again if I have a need.
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elithea
> 3 dayUPDATE: back to five stars because these just wirk! i bought some ekticity ones to compare amd i couldnt get them to configure at all! order two more of these same day delivery and they went in like buttah. im happy npw. gave this 3stars because it WAS 5stars, until i had to deal with customer service, which was <1star, to say the least. i got a new router, got it all set up, it wouldnt find my smart plug. followed the instructions, which were just a futile loop, a dozen times, then came here, where it advertises customer support 24/7 with no link where to get it. googled their web page, held a reasonable anount of time, finally connected to a girl who had absolutely no idea what she was doing, and barely spoke english. spent a futile half hour during which i told her what i was doing step by step, instead of the other way around, and finally asked to speak to someone else. there was no one else. supervisor. hold. horrible music. i tried reconnecting a couple more times, nada. then i got the bright idea to set up another, brand new plug which i was planning on doing next, anyway, and voila! it picked up the new router fine. went back to reconfigure that old one and voila! it now picked up the new router fine. she came back on the line to tell me the supervisor was too busy, and i very slowly explained to her what i had done. i have very little confidence that she understood. takeaway: IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE ROUTER ON ONE OF THESE PLUGS, YOU FIRST HAVE TO SET UP A WHOLE BRAND NEW ONE. it will then pick up the new router settings and connect to it automaticaly when you go back and re-set up the old one. this has obvious advantages, to them, and very blatant disadvantages to the consumer. i have been buying these one at a time as i convert each room to smart and had planned to buy several more. now i will buy another brand.
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The WB
> 3 dayAlways wanted some home automation system, but in reading the horror stories of the past always made me back off. Happened across this device here at Amazon. For the reduced price, I took the risk and ordered one. WOW -- what a plug. NO special hub needed. This unit connects directly to your home 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi router and controlled by the Kasa Android/iOS app that programs and controls your switches. More later. Unboxed and set up my plug. You will need to have an Android or iOS device to perform the set up. If you do not have one, there is NO way to properly install or use this plug. There is NO web site to perform this task. I give fair warning to you and you can continue your search for a different type of connection set-up. Downloaded the Kasa app from the Google Play Store to both my Android devices. Proceeded to register for a TP Link remote access account. An email will be sent to the address you provide. After confirming this is really your email account, set up continues. Since I had only one light switch, programming one name was easy. After the app finds your home network (Wi-Fi) enter your security password. Mine is connected to a WPA2-AES Netgear routed network. With the correct password, my router recognized the TP Link plug right off. Once done, I manually changed the plug IP address in my LAN settings to a static address, so the plug will always connect to the same connection address. Less work for the router to do when a reboot happens. Testing this plug further, I played with a light unplugging and replugging the outlet in different wall sockets in the house. All locations were found and connected to my wireless network. Testing, I was able to turn the light on and off at will. Next up was a remote test off premises and away from my Wi-Fi network. Walked down the the end of my street and turned on the light -- failure. What went wrong? Walked down the street again -- the 4G LTE signal took additional time to connect with the TP Link servers via the Kasa app. The first try failed giving me a message of connection failed, please try again later Tried again a couple seconds later -- success. If you have connections issues, try a second time, this should be successful. Dont lose the installation instruction. There is no replacement instructions for this model plug on the TP Link support web site. Both my wife and I are happy with this plug that we just ordered two more for different devices we have here at the house. The ability to control lights and appliances remotely, in town or away is great. I have to play with this plug more and will supplement this review after a brief time to conduct additional testing under varied conditions. Im pleased with the purchase and this product deserves, rightful so, my 5 star rating. ******* 05/12/2016 - Update I now have three (3) of these wall plugs connected to my home Wi-Fi network. All three (3) with static IP addresses on my LAN network. All having reconnected with my network after one power outage and several plug movements from their originating and paring positions. If you want to use these plug remotely (the very reason you buy them), you have to change the identifying name on your router. The default name is HS-100 and they will show up as HS-100, but the router is confused when the Kasa app is opened (even though the MAC addresses are different for each plug). It will allow for only one switch to work remotely and the other two to be under local Wi-Fi network control. When I changed the names on my router and gave them separate static addresses at the same time, all plugs worked remotely. A helpful tip. Unlike other home security items controlled by remote (like IP cameras), NO need to do any fancy port forwarding and router tricks to make them work. They are plug-n-play after you find them on your network through the Kasa app. Manual turn on provision is the easy part. Programmed time works just as will, programming the plug from the Kasa app. You have to program one separate on time and a second separate off time. I understand that up to 50 separate times can be stored per plug. I have not tried it. One reviewer blasted the security, or the lack thereof these plugs. He brings up several points, but overall, someone has to have some pretty sophisticated hardware and programming skills to catch these plugs passing your Wi-Fi password info across the local network. Nothing is absolutely secure. If somebody really wants that info, they will get it -- plain and simple. The statistical chances of your Wi-Fi network being hacked by these plugs are very remote at best. I would far more worried about a smash and grab theft/robbery of your computer hardware, compromising your network directly, or an armed robbery of your cell phone with the Kasa app than a sniffer outside waiting, waiting, waiting to capture your plugs talking with your network. More paranoia than anything else. Use these plugs in good health. I enjoy knowing that they just work, locally and remotely, with the ability to verify that your lights are working properly and at your programmed times. Nuff said. ******* 05/22/2016 - Update I created a monster! My wife plays with these wall plugs all the time with her Android phone. On, off, on, off. Such small things bring that much pleasure cannot be all bad. Hey, if she uses them like this, Im happy and just confirms that I made the right purchase. ******* 06/15/2016 - Update Just returned from a week long trip out-of-state. Put these plugs through a more thorough test while away from home. Viewing and switching remotely, on both Wifi and 4G LTE from my phone, they worked as represented. I was able to verify this remotely with my IP cams in the house. Changing my pre-programed settings remotely worked also. A nice convenience. Thus far, with over a month of use, these plugs just work. I also understand (with the last Kasa app update), TP-Link is rereleasing a wall switch based upon the same technology as these wall plugs. The model will be the HS-200. No release date has been set as of this time. When they come out, I will upgrade several wall switches for my lights with the HS-200 switches. ******** 09/29/2016 - HS200 wall switch installation Discount Coupon time ($5.00 off), picked one up from Amazon as phase two (2) of operation Home Automation w/o a Hub project continues. Came today and just finished installing it. Unboxed the switch. Nicely packed with foam protection surrounding the face plate. Four (4) wires to connect: * Green for ground * White for neutral * Black (2 wires) for line and load (neither one marked for line or load) * Extra wire nuts were included - a nice touch I have mine connected to a 50 watt Track-Light set up with 5 LED BR30 bulbs. Lower wattage, but there are NO issues with flicker on power up/down. The dark side of my installation: Then the fun began. The wall switch cover (one pole/switch cover) is attached to the mounting tangs of the switch with plastic clasp hooks molded onto the face plate. I have two switches at the installed location so the included face plate had to be removed. The back side face plate hooks snap over the plastic mounting tangs on the switch and are very tough to separate. It took some careful prying to separate the faceplate from the switch so as not to break the plastic mounting tangs on the switch. Remember that when you get your switch. A bad design by TP-Link. Further, the mounting tangs on the wall switch are thicker plastic than a regular metal framed switch, so a standard wall plate may or may not fit. Mine barely fits, but there is a gap around the side edge of the wall plate. I will have to buy a deeper clearance wall plate to close the now obvious gap. Also, the switch plate cover mounting screws (the small ones that are exposed) are NOT drilled to accept the switch plate mounting screws. It took some force to get the screws started into the plastic mounting tangs on the switch. Another issue with this switch and TP-Links bad design. This switch also did something I didnt see with the wall plugs. When I went to add the switch to the Kasa app, it took over my cell phone Wi-Fi connection. Once installation was completely configured, the wall switch released my phone Wi-Fi and let it reset to my home router. A minor distraction and why it happened is beyond me. Normal, but some warning should have been given. Now, it was not all bad. Once installed from my cell phone, other Android devices found this switch and automatically entered it into the Kasa program. All devices work remotely without an issue. Like my wall plugs, I configured this switch to a static IP address on my LAN. Reconfiguration was painless and it works just fine. All 4 plugs and switched play nice on the Kasa app. I knocked off one star for the plastic construction of the wall tangs, mounting points and packaging of the wall plate cover. The mounting tangs should have been metal and the wall plate should have rested on top of the switch, not mounted to it. NO note in the box of how to take the wall plate off the switch -- an oversight by some engineer, but not to the end user. I plan to purchase a couple more wall switches. Even with the flaws I described, they work as intended and my wife continues to play with them every day. ******* 01/02/2017 - Update I am now up to two (2) HS-200 wall switches and three (3) HS-100 wall plugs. All are connected to a second Linksys AP router (more in a minute). The switches and wall plugs continue to work flawlessly. I also have an
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GuitarNut
> 3 dayI finally pulled the trigger this Prime Day and bought three of these TP Link Wi-Fi switchable plugs while on super sale. One controls two lights in my living room which I have linked to my Amazon Alexa account. A simple Alexa, turn on [off] my lights and it works great. The second plug controls my stereo power, and works great with my Alexa Dot which is connected to my stereo receiver through a mini 3.5mm stereo to RCA plug. Now, I have voice and smartphone control over my stereo, and can play Pandora and other streaming services hands free on my stereo s connected speakers. Great to be able to control song selections and volume (using the Alexa App) for my rear yard speakers while standing in the rear yard. Very impressed with the TP Link switches, and note that when my wireless router goes down, the switches automatically reconnect within a minute or two (sadly, I have yet to get my Echos to automatically reconnect, yet). Only problem I had was setting up the first switch - the new Kasa account I established was not recognized, and there were no clear instructions either that came with the unit, or on their website. Customer service was non-existent - took two days for my emailed help request to be acknowledged. Anyway, eventually I figured out to remove the switch name from the app, and re-installed and renamed it, and the switch worked the second time. Time will tell if these expensive gadgets hold up, but theyre working great so far! Oh, and the App (Kasa) allows one to set up timer-style programs, so my lights come on at 7pm and go off at 1am, unless I ask Alexa to override. You can also activate all your switches remotely using the Kasa App provided you have wifi or cellular access. Great stuff! Time to freak out the babysitter, heh heh!
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Judi Fryer
> 3 dayThis review is more about the provider than the Plug. Purchased this item in December 2016 shortly after obtaining my first of 3 Amazon Dots/1 Amazon Flex. Installed the KASA plug shortly after receiving it. It was a little complicated, but then AI in general was new to me. Plug has worked FLAWLESSLY. I upgraded my internet somewhere in between 2106 and now. The gentleman from the internet service helped me update the few AI devices I had at that time. All were a piece of cake for him, except the KASA plug. It took him longer to get that one updated than all the others combined. I recently upgraded my modem and router when increasing my internet speed. The provider installed the new modem/router. I upgraded all of the 12 devices I currently have as peripherals for the Alexa Dots. Absolutely NO PROBLEM with my phone, thermostat, multiple Alexa plugs, Roku, TV, etc. etc. I checked with Amazon/Alexa department if they had any information about how to update the address info on the KASA HS100 plug. Unfortunately they did not, but they did provide an telephone number for the KASA Company. After being disconnected three times following long hold sessions to reach an a representative, I finally was on the phone with someone at KASA. Explained my need for instructions to reconnect the plug so it could be recognized by Alexa. After being given multiple. serially changing directions, 49 minutes on the floor under my desk in order to have plug within less than 1 of the modem, the plug was still not connected. The representative said that since I seemed to be confused he was going to send me an e-mail with written instructions. I asked two questions: If I couldnt follow directions with an expert talking me through the procedure, was it likely I could follow written ones? He ignored that question. I also asked more than once; how, since at no time during your fluid directions did we do ANYTHING that included providing the plug with my new wifi name/password, could we expect this to be a successful effort; which surprisingly he ignored every time I asked. I had successfully added a KASA app on my phone and opened what appeared to be a new KASA account during this time; neither of which helped with my problem. The second sentence of the e-mailed directions told me (without any directions as to how to do so) to create a cloud account. I have successfully avoided having a cloud account for years and years and alas thus didnt have a clue, nor understand the need since the plug has worked for years without the presence of one. I called back to the KASA Company and received a new representative who from direction #1 gave me an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SET OF DIRECTIONS THROUGH THE ENSUING 50 more minutes under my desk. (Did I mention Ill be 79 next month?). One of the directions the 2nd fellow gave me this time was to enter the new WIFI name/password into the plugs memory. Hallelujah! I was optimistic. He also had me touching, pushing, holding etc entirely different parts of the plug this time. Another hopeful indication. He then told me we had added the plug to the KASA list. But what about Amazons list I asked. Not necessary he replied. I asked him to please give me 3 more minutes of his time while I toted the newly updated plug to the room where it was going to be used to see if it would communicate with Alexa. He said we didnt need to do that. It was added to KASA and it was going to work and could he help me in any other way. I am thinking I dont need to tell you that Alexa still could not recognize a link to a foyer lamp, though she dutifully kept asking me did I mean couch light. I quickly received an e-mail Survey regarding my satisfaction. I responded pretty much as above. One question was do I still need to be contacted. YES was the reply. Today I received another e-mail asking why I had not replied to the first one and was I satisfied. They did not receive my Survey response and apparently cant receive my response from today either. They wont let you respond via your regular e-mail, they provided an alternate system which obviously I also havent mastered. Ive only worked at a job for 23 years using a computer 12 hours a day for anywhere from 4-7 days a week. And I have used a home computer, sometimes two at a time, for 39 years more days than I probably should have. So it is understandable I suppose that I dont have a Degree in technology, and apparently only have a passing ability to follow directions that even a child would recognize as not going to be successful as provided. I am going to send the KASA Plug back to the company and buy yet another Alexa plug. To get them connected and working you need about 5 minutes tops and NO PHD in Technology. I recommend if you need workable, easy to use, understand, set up, and connect plugs to for Alexa to communicate with you START from Day 1 with only ALEXA Plugs. I have multiple ones connected to multiple items around my home and they NEVER fail and when you update you ALEXA WIFI information, it covers all your specific devices, all your plugs, etc. Separate items like Roku boxes, speakers, TV, etc are pretty easy on their own. Please save your self much grief, aggravation, and possibly a near serious brush with a stroke and buy ONLY ALEXA plugs. Alexa will appreciate you and so will your blood pressure.
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Quinton Aj Stevens
> 3 dayAt first, I had a lot of trouble getting it to work. Please note: these things do NOT work with custom firmware routers (DD-WRT, OpenWRT, etc.) I had DD-WRT on my router, and I just couldnt get it to work no matter what. It couldnt connect to the router, and I have no clue why. So I flashed my router back to stock firmware, et voila. It worked just as expected. You download the Kasa app, plug in the plug, and go through the on-screen instructions to set it up! Its very simple. It then gives you the ability to turn on and off things you plug into it remotely (I used mine for a space heater). You can also setup a schedule for it to turn on. For me, I have my heater turn on at 630am so its not cold when its time to get out of bed. This is also good for automated lights and other things. PACKAGING: the packaging it comes in is very good, and very nice looking. The instructions are semi-ambiguous, but they can be. The app walks you step by step through setup. This plug is not compatible with 5GHz WiFi networks...so you need to have a 2.4GHz WiFi network in order to use this. Honestly this part is my own mistake, but I only bought the Smart Plug, and not the model with energy monitoring...DO NOT make this mistake. Its literally 4 cents more to get the one with energy monitoring, and it would be well worth it just for some cool extra information about your plug and monitoring it. Currently, you can only see how long its been on...not that useful for much. Anyways, amazing product, very nice and convenient, and glad I purchased. Giving it 4 stars because the headache I had with DD-WRT and because a model without a feature is the same price* as the model with a feature...very unfortunate as I dont want to wait to send this back and forth.